In 2016, Lee Ann Fujii gave the luncheon lecture at ISA-NE. In her lecture, she called for greater diversity and representation in the discipline of IR, and emphasized the need for mentorship, support, and recognition of scholarship in this vein. After her passing in 2018, this book award was established to recognize the best book published in the previous two calendar years that significantly advances issues of diversity in the discipline, whether through topical focus or authorship. In this vein, the award gives preference to scholars from underrepresented communities in IR: scholars from the Global South, LGBTQ scholars, and women.